Manual Stimulation: Noobow (GameBoy)

Up until the early part of 2013, I had only a passing interest in Nintendo's GameBoy.

Oh, I owned one as a kid--got one as soon as I possibly could after it hit store shelves in the summer of 1989, in fact--and I loved it as much as anyone can love a bulky electronic gadget with a green-and-black screen.



After I sold my GameBoy system and catalog of carts a few years later, though, I rarely looked back. It just wasn't an experience I felt like revisiting, you know?

So, what happened in 2013? I came across a small blog post about the game highlighted here: Irem's Noobow.



That post included a short video of Noobow in action. I was hooked a second after I hit "start."

Over the next few months, I searched the Internet high and low for other Japan-only GameBoy games that had escaped my attention and that might appeal to me as much as Noobow.

All of that digital sleuthing resulted in me discovering import gems like Peetan, Painter Momopie and Osawagase! Penguin Boy. (OK, so that last one actually earned a Western release--as Amazing Penguin.)



Once I became aware of those titles, too, there was no going back. In the years since, I basically made it a goal to obtain complete-in-box copies of those Japanese GameBoy games and a slew of others (like Astro Rabby, Burning Paper and Cave Noire).

Curiously, each of the games I've mentioned so far were sold with stellar instruction manuals packed inside their colorful cardboard boxes.



Noobow's manual isn't as stellar as some of the others linked to at the bottom of this post, but I think it's still pretty nice.

Chiefly responsible for me calling it "nice" is that it sports a number of adorable illustrations of the eponymous Noobow, who apparently began life (and I believe continues to serve) as a mascot for a line of merchandise.



Strangely, this booklet doesn't contain even half as many illustrations as Noobow's outer box does, but at least almost all of the ones stuffed inside the manual are unique.

Also worth celebrating: the Noobow manual features three full pages of item drawings and descriptions.



If this is your first visit to this site, or if you haven't been visiting it for long, you need to know I love old game manuals that feature item drawings and descriptions.

Admittedly, the item drawings showcased here are on the rough side, but that just adds to their charm, if you ask me. (For another Japanese GameBoy manual that features rough item drawings, check out my post about the booklet made for the system's Bubble Bobble port.)



The second-to-last page of the Noobow instruction manual (see below) is supposed to be reserved for jotting down passwords, by the way. Whether or not the text a previous owner scribbled onto mine actually is a password, though, is up for debate.



Now that you've taken it all in, what do you think of the Noobow GameBoy instruction manual?

Also, if any of you have played this 1992 release, what do you think of it?

See also: previous 'Manual Stimulation' posts about Astro Rabby, Bubble Bobble Junior, Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru, Snow Bros. Jr. and Tumblepop

My most popular posts of 2016

I know this is a pretty self-serving write-up, but I'm publishing it anyway in the hopes it'll make folks aware of some interesting posts they missed earlier in the year.

Which posts, you ask? The ones on this blog that earned the most views in 2016, that's which ones.

Oh, and I've decided to put them in alphabetical order rather than in order of most views to least--in case anyone's curious.

CIB Sunday: World’s Longest 5 Minutes Limited Edition (Vita)

Five overlooked Japanese GameBoy games you need to play as soon as possible

Five overlooked Japanese PlayStation games you need to play as soon as possible

Four reasons I'm planning to nab one of those adorable Nintendo Classic Mini: NES consoles once November rolls around

How to succeed in Pocket Card Jockey without really trying (or, here's what you need to do if you suck at this quirky 3DS eShop title)

Let's chat about Zero Time Dilemma's cover art

Manual Stimulation (KiKi KaiKai, PC Engine)

Nu-Bo, Nuubou, Noobow, New--oh, whatever...

Six 3DS games I'm looking forward to playing at some point in 2016

Some of my favorite SNES games in honor of the system's 25th anniversary

I'm planning to publish follow-ups to a few of the above in 2017, by the way. Can you guess which ones?

Other than that, thank you for viewing these and all of my other blog posts so many times this past year. I greatly appreciate it, as always.

Five overlooked Japanese GameBoy games you need to play as soon as possible

Of all the "five overlooked games you need to play as soon as possible" posts I've already published here and will publish in the coming weeks and months, this is sure to be the easiest to write.

After all, as much as I love the Famicom, PC Engine and PlayStation, and as much as I know about their extensive game libraries, I know quite a bit more about the GameBoy's catalog at this point--especially when it comes to that portable's more obscure titles.

Speaking of which, the following five carts are among the GameBoy's most painfully ignored, in the opinion of yours truly. All are Japanese, but don't let that keep you from giving them a try. You don't need to know a lick of the language to beat any of them.

Astro Rabby--Before I say anything else, I have to warn you that one small aspect of this Cyclone System-developed game will make you want to rip out your hair. Thankfully, it can be ignored. Also, the rest of what's on offer in Astro Rabby--forced-scrolling, overhead action that puts players in the shoes (paws?) of a robotic bunny who hops through space in search of the stolen parts that'll allow him to fly--is enjoyable enough that it more than compensates for the bitter taste left by the above-mentioned bonus rounds. Still not convinced its worth your while? Boot up Astro Rabby simply because its interstellar stages are littered with Super Mario Bros.-esque question blocks.

Burning Paper--Of all the games discussed here, I consider this one to be the most disappointingly overlooked. That's mainly because Burning Paper's gameplay is unlike that of any other GameBoy title I've played. Hell, it's unlike that of any other game I've played, period. Imagine an inverted Space Invaders mixed with a dash of Qix (or even Patchwork Heroes) and you'll be close to understanding what it's like to play Burning Paper. Unfortunately, whatever image you conjure up won't let you hear this old LOZC G. Amusements-published cart's far-better-than-it-has-any-right-to-be soundtrack, so you really have to buy a copy of the game (or boot up a ROM) to get the full experience.

Noobow--This slow-paced puzzler-platformer is the perfect pick-up for someone who wants a unique portable title that won't tax their reflexes. In fact, you're never even forced to time a jump à la Mario while playing Noobow. Here, all you do is move the titular character left and right using your GameBoy's d-pad. As you do that to work your way through each of this Irem-made title's stages, you encounter various obstacles and objects. A single press of the system's A or B buttons generally prompts Noobow to pick up whatever object is in front of him, and another press prompts him to set it down or use it in some fashion. Successfully reaching the end of each level is more challenging than you probably thinking, especially when you consider this game was aimed at kids.

Painter Momopie--As far as Pac-Man clones go, Painter Momopie is neither the best nor the worst in the world. Still, I recommend checking out this Sigma Entertainment-developed release because: a) its cast of characters is surprisingly appealing for such an under-the-radar title (especially the titular Momopie--I mean, what's not to love about a broom-toting witch?), b) its soundtrack is wistful in a way most game music isn't and c) its gameplay tweaks the aforementioned quarter-muncher's just enough to make things seem fresh and interesting. I'm also pretty fond of the quaint cottage-like environs that double as Painter Momopie's stages.

Taiyou no Tenshi Marlowe: Ohanabatake wa Dai-Panic--Just like Astro Rabby and Burning Paper, it's not easy to explain Taiyou no Tenshi Marlowe's gameplay in a quippy sentence or two. Actually, I'm not sure I can explain it in an entire paragraph. Thankfully, Hardcore Gaming 101 devoted an entire page to this Technos-made head-scratcher. All you really need to know, though, is it's a unique experience that's well suited to the GameBoy hardware and screen. Also, its angelic protagonist and cadre of baddies (if they can be called that) are beyond cute.

Enjoy this post? Keep your eyes peeled for a similar one in the coming weeks that'll shine a light on five overlooked North American GameBoy games I think you should play as soon as possible.

See also: five favorite pieces of Japanese GameBoy box art and five favorite pieces of North American GameBoy box art

Nu-Bo, Nuubou, Noobow, New--oh, whatever...

I've wanted to own this curious puzzler-platformer since I first became aware of it three years ago. (You can read my thoughts on that introduction in "His name is Noobow and I want his game.")

A year after I made Noobow's acquaintance, I came across (and quickly snapped up, naturally) the complete-in-box copy of the game showcased in the photos below.

Considering the insane prices some other obscure Japanese GameBoy titles go for these days--search eBay for Phantasm or Peetan, if you'd like proof--I got this copy for an absolute steal.

Of course, I would've been willing to spend a lot more than I did to acquire Noobow, as its packaging is the definition of "top shelf."

I mean, just look at the photo above as well as the three that follow. Every edge of Noobow's box features a little illustration of the titular character, who was an anime and manga star back in the early 1990s. 

The adorable "Noobow waving" drawing seen in the snapshot below also appears on this game's cartridge label, by the way. 

Here's the back of Noobow's box. Actually, it's just two-thirds of the back of its box; I didn't include the rest of it because a partially removed price sticker covers its lower third. 

Don't worry, I'll get rid of it eventually. (I've read that Goo Gone works pretty well in these kinds of situations as long as you don't overdo it.) After I do, maybe I'll take a few new photos and add them to my Flickr photostream.

Thankfully, the game's instruction manual is in no need of that sort of attention.

Unsurprisingly, it's stuffed with a number of so-cute-I-could-puke illustrations.

If you'd like to see more of Noobow's aww-inspiring (FYI: I made that typo on purpose) instruction pamphlet, keep your eyes peeled for another installment of my long-running "Manual Stimulation" series.

In the meantime, have any of you fine folks played this 1992, Japan-only GameBoy title? If so, what are your impressions of it?

If you haven't, I'd highly recommend checking it out via emulation as soon as you're able. It won't blow your mind, but I'm pretty sure it'll bring a smile to your face.

Forget the Year of Luigi; for me, 2014 is the Year of the GameBoy

Given the number of posts I've published about them in recent weeks and months, you could be forgiven for assuming I'd already declared (or at least privately decided) this to be the "Year of the DS" or the "Year of the 3DS."

In a way, of course, 2014 is and will be both of those things for me--unofficially, at least. Officially, though, it's already become clear to me that the focus of my thoughts and desires this year is going to be the handheld that started it all, the GameBoy.

The fact is, I've been a smidge obsessed with the system--its extensive catalog of obscure Japanese games, in particular--since I wrote about Irem's Noobow early last year.

Clockwise from upper-left: Snow Bros. Jr., Painter Momopie,
Penguin Land and Osawagase! Penguin Boy

Things only got worse after I discovered Peetan a few months later, and then Painter Momopie and Osawagase! Penguin Boy a couple of months after that.

Sadly, I've yet to come across complete copies of Noobow or Peetan during my all-too-frequent eBay forays, but I have come across--and purchased--copies of Painter Momopie and Osawagase! Penguin Boy and a number of other intriguing, import-only GameBoy titles in the last half-year or so.

So, expect to see posts--featuring photos as well as impressions, if not actual reviews--about all of them sooner rather than later. At the moment, I'm not planning to "brand" these write-ups in any particular way, but who knows? Regardless, I hope you'll enjoy them.

His name is Noobow and I want his game

While perusing the SCROLL magazine blog this past weekend, I came across the following video of a rather obscure Japanese GameBoy title called Noobow (Nu-Bo is another possibility).

As you're made well aware during the video's first few seconds, Noobow was produced by the always able folks at Irem and released in 1992.

Although Noobow's protagonist is big and slow and even a bit creepy, I can't help but want a copy of it anyway due to its intriguing combination of platforming and puzzle elements.



Another reason I've added Noobow to my lengthy "wish list" of import-only GameBoy titles: its bright yellow box art, which features the titular character sticking out his tongue at all who come across it.

Unfortunately, I doubt I'm going to find a copy--complete-in-box or otherwise--anytime soon, so I'll probably have to content myself by watching the video above for some time to come.